Ray Runs Into Trouble

As more details slowly surface on the Ray Rice incident, it sure doesn't look good for the Raven's running back. The latest hotel surveillance video appears to show Rice dragging his limp, unresponsive fiance out of an elevator. According to several articles that I read this morning, the finance was in this state because Rice knocked her unconscious.

I have also heard people attempting to defend Ray by saying that his girl was simply drunk. And Rice's attorney has called the whole situation "a very minor physical altercation". I'm not buying any of this bullshit. The couple had been arrested a short time earlier for allegedly beating on one another in a casino. Are we to believe that Rice's girlfriend entered the elevator and, all of a sudden, conveniently became too drunk to stay awake? The next thing we'll hear is that Ray farted in the elevator and she was overcome by the fumes.

As a Ravens fan, stories like this are very disappointing. And let's face it, Baltimore's beloved football team has had it's share of these incidents. But this one is especially disappointing because, I, like many other fans, really wanted Ray to be the role model that has become almost extinct in modern-day sports. We have seen Rice take part in anti-bullying campaigns and other positive community events. But all of the good stuff will likely be overshadowed by this latest incident. And in my opinion, it should. Although I try to not judge a man by his worst day, there are certain situations that simply can't be ignored. And this appears to be one of them.

So, the big question now is: What do the Ravens do about it? After all, Rice just came off of a very disappointing season. And while I think the offensive line had a lot to do with it, Ray just didn't appear to have the spark last year. On the positive side, if the Ravens send their star running back packing, it will look good as far as public relations go. It would at least attempt to send the message that they're not going to continue to tolerate these misconduct issues. But how much money would this cost them? In all likelihood, the Ravens will stand by their man as the have done in similar instances in the past. But I would certainly expect the NFL to take some type of disciplinary action.

Any way you cook it, it's not a good time for Ravens fans.......

kw